Entertainment
Celebrities

Michael Douglas' accuser details sexual harassment

WENN.COM

Friday, January 19, 2018
3:29:50 EST PM

Michael Douglas of The Reach on the red carpet at the Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Saturday September 6, 2014. Michael Peake/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

An author accusing Michael Douglas of sexual harassment has detailed her side of the story for the first time.

The Basic Instinct star hit headlines earlier this month when he told Deadline he was going to get ahead of the story and issue a pre-emptive denial, after being contacted by staff at both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety concerning accusations he pleasured himself in front of an employee three decades ago.

Vehemently denying her claims, which he called “completely untrue” and a “complete lie”, Douglas added at the time: “The part that hurt the worst is having to share something like this to your wife and your children. My kids are really upset, have to go to school worrying this is going to be in some article about me, being a sexual harasser. They’re scared and very uncomfortable.”

In her account, Braudy claims she endured “sexual harassment by Douglas that included near-constant profane and sexually charged dialogue, demeaning comments about her appearance, graphic discussions regarding his mistresses and more,” when she ran the New York office at Douglas’ Stonebridge Productions company.

Braudy also claims that during a one-on-one meeting between her and the actor at his apartment, which also served as a part-time office, he masturbated in front of her.

“Michael unzipped his chinos and I registered something amiss,” she recalls about the alleged incident, which is said to have happened in 1989. “I peered at him and saw he’d inserted both hands into his unzipped pants. I realized to my horror that he was rubbing his private parts. Within seconds his voice cracked and it appeared to me he’d had an orgasm.

“I was surprised I wasn’t falling to pieces even though I was humiliated,” she continues. “I realized he thought he could do anything he wanted because he was so much more powerful than I was. Michael ran barefoot after me to the elevator, zipping his fly and buckling his belt. ‘Hey, thank you, you’re good. You helped me, thank you, thank you.’”

Braudy’s relationship with Douglas reportedly deteriorated after the alleged incident, particularly when she refused his requests to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and she was allegedly fired six months later.